CAF: Samuel Eto'o puts Patrice Motsepe in his place

Africa 15 February 2026 at 12:02

Joshua SOSSOU

News Editor

The latest CAF executive committee meeting, held Friday in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, reportedly turned into a heated showdown. The highly controversial refereeing at the recent 2025 AFCON in Morocco is believed to be one of the main reasons.

Amid the outlandish revelations shared by Olivier Safari Kabene, head of the referees commission, a clear observation was made about Patrice Motsepe, who is widely seen as the “phantom president” of CAF. The South African boss was reportedly called out in an unprecedented moment by Samuel Eto'o, president of the Cameroonian Football Federation (Fécafoot).

Famed for his outspoken nature, the Cameroonian legend made it clear he was fed up with being repeatedly denied a private conversation with the billionaire. "Listen, big brother, you asked me to keep quiet, to behave. I stayed silent, but now I've had enough. I'm Samuel Eto'o Fils, and when I call you, it's president to president. But every time I reach out, you send someone else, when it should be a president-to-president relationship. Now, that's over." he reportedly fired back.

Following his lead, other federation presidents openly voiced their disagreement, according to information reported by Molina.